JP2009061216A - Electronic shelf tag - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electronic shelf tag for displaying product information, which can instantly change its price indication in conjunction with cash registers at a checkout counter, powered by a longer-life battery source. <P>SOLUTION: This electric shelf tag includes: an autonomous power supply 13 of a solar battery 12 or a primary battery 14; a radio unit 16 for receiving product information to be supplied from a communication network, having the functions of interactive communications and the confirmation of correct receipt of information; a storage unit 17 consisting of SDRAM and EEPROM; a display unit 18 of liquid crystal panels for displaying product information; and a central processing unit 15 which controls the radio unit 16, stores product information from the radio unit 16 into the storage unit 17, displays it on the display unit 18, and supplies power from the autonomous power supply 13 to other units. The storage unit 17 records and retains information necessary for action before the central processing unit 15 turns off or into a sleep state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic shelf label that transmits information from a device having a price to be displayed and related product information using communication means and displays the information on a terminal display device.

  The shelf label refers to a display means for displaying information such as a product origin, a shelf life, and a price when displaying a product for sale at a store. Speaking of a shelf label, in general, there are many items in which information is written on paper, but the shelf label according to the present invention is an electronic shelf label.

  An electronic shelf label is an electronic shelf label that electrically writes information about a product on the shelf label and displays the information on an electronic display medium such as a liquid crystal panel. In recent years, an electronic shelf label using an information transmission method using infrared communication or wireless communication (for example, see Patent Document 1) is becoming popular. In any case, the writing device is located near the target shelf label. The mainstream is to perform the writing operation by taking it up to (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  A problem associated with this method is that a person in charge of writing is always required because information is manually written to the shelf label when the product information is changed. On the other hand, there are many problems due to incorrect information written due to human error, or the display price and the price at the payment counter do not match when paying. In addition, when the price is changed for a certain period of time as in the time service, the price cannot be changed all at once, and the function as a shelf label may be impaired.

In addition, an indoor solar cell panel that generates power with room light, for example, light from a fluorescent lamp, and a power generation device that stores the generated electricity and drives the device are also disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 3).
JP 2007-163201 A Japanese Patent No. 3657583 JP 2007-181278 A

  The feature of the electronic shelf label is that the contents of the shelf label can be changed instantaneously and the same information is retained until the next rewriting. However, since the information is manually rewritten, the person in charge of rewriting needs to go to the place of the shelf label and rewrite the labor and labor cost. In addition, when rewriting is performed individually, a time lag and a mistake in writing occur. That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic shelf label having a function of automatically performing a plurality of rewrites almost simultaneously.

Furthermore, there are problems with electronic shelf labels that do not occur with paper-type shelf labels. It is a power consumption because the electronic shelf label functions using electricity. Since the shelf label is required to move freely, battery drive is common. Therefore, it is also an object of the present invention to provide an electronic shelf label that has a high need for maintenance such as battery replacement and has reduced power consumption for extending the battery life.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, product information supplied from a communication network has a self-contained power source powered by a solar cell or primary battery, a bidirectional communication function, and a function to check whether information has been correctly received. A wireless device for receiving, a storage device comprising an SDRAM and an EEPROM, a display device comprising a liquid crystal panel for displaying product information, and product information obtained by controlling the wireless device is stored in the storage device and displayed. A central processing unit that displays on a device and supplies power to the other devices via power from the self-supporting power source, and the storage device is configured to turn off the central processing unit before entering the power-off or sleep state. Write and hold information necessary for operation.

  According to the present invention, by transmitting information stored in the product information management system through a wireless network, product information can be reflected on the shelf label quickly and accurately. In addition, the person in charge of rewriting is not required, so that labor costs can be saved and the economic effect is great.

  In addition, since the frequency of battery replacement is reduced, the cost for maintenance such as battery replacement can be reduced together with the reduction of battery purchase cost, and thus the economic effect is also great.

  Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 1, the structure of the electronic shelf label of this invention is shown. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the appearance and shape of an electronic shelf label. The surface of the electronic shelf label is a panel of the display body 11 that displays product information. A panel of solar cells 12 is placed on the upper roof. This is a device in which the light of the fluorescent lamp enters the panel of the solar cell 12 to the maximum. Therefore, the roof may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. In addition, the panel of the display body 11 may be dazzled when the light of the fluorescent lamp directly hits it, and the display content may be difficult to see, and has an effect of preventing dazzling.

  FIG. 1B is a block diagram showing the configuration of the electronic shelf label. The electronic shelf label of the present invention has a self-supporting power supply 13, and the self-supporting power supply 13 is powered by the indoor solar battery 12 or the primary battery 14. The self-supporting power source 13 supplies power to other devices via the central processing unit 15. The central processing unit 15 controls the wireless device 16, stores product information obtained from the wireless device 16 in the storage device 17, and displays it on the display device 18. The wireless device 16 receives product information supplied from the communication network. The wireless device 16 has a bidirectional communication function and a function of confirming whether or not information has been correctly received. The display device 18 is composed of a liquid crystal panel and displays product information. The storage device 17 includes a storage element SDRAM capable of writing / reading static operation and a storage element EEPROM capable of electrical writing / erasing, and is necessary for the operation before the central processing unit 15 enters the power-off state or the sleep state. It has a function to write and hold various information.

  Next, a method for transmitting product information will be described. In general, the shelf label is divided into a fresh fish system, a meat system, a beverage system, a confectionery system, and the like in the case of systems and supermarkets. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a wireless connection relating to information transfer between one of them, the merchandise information management system 21 and the payment counter 22, that is, a merchandise information transfer network. For the product information, the product information management system 21 creates a packet relating to the designated system, and transmits the method to the shelf label 24 via the relay node 23 to the network of the designated system. In FIG. 2, one system is formed by four shelf labels.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the product information transfer packet. The configuration of this packet is the multi-packet method shown in FIG. 3 and the format in which each shelf label slave packet 32 is included in the main packet 31. The header information 33 of the main packet 31 includes information such as the system and in which direction the information flows. This packet is transmitted to the shelf label 24 via the relay node 23. Each shelf label takes out the header information 34 of the slave packet 32, determines whether the information is addressed to itself, and if it is information to itself, takes out the product information 35 of the slave packet 32 and stores the extracted information in the storage device 17. At the same time, it is displayed on the display device 18. To check whether the information has been correctly transferred, the shelf label 24 that has correctly received the information feeds back to the product information management system 21 via the relay node 23. On the other hand, the merchandise information management system wirelessly transmits the same packet to the payment counter 22. The payment counter 22 that has received the packet extracts information on each product stored in the sub packet 32 and stores it as information on the payment counter 22. In the case of the packet shown in FIG. 3, it is information on four products. By flowing the information on the shelf label to the payment counter at the same time, the information on the payment counter can be rewritten almost at the same time as the contents of the shelf label are rewritten, and the information such as the value difference is inconsistent between the two. Can be prevented.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the connection of networks, in particular, a product information transfer network series. In FIG. 4, a multi-hop wireless network is provided for four product groups. In the case of a large supermarket, information is transferred to the shelf label 24 via a plurality of relay nodes 23. The relay node 23 is usually laid on the ceiling. The merchandise information management system 21 is installed on a desk or the like because the employee operates it. Since radio waves easily increase the communication distance to the upper part of the space, the relay node 23 is also laid on the ceiling in this embodiment. Regarding the notification distance, when the transmission output is set to 0.25 mW in the new specific low power wireless standard of 315 MHz band and the 1/4 wavelength vertical antenna is used, the general communication distance in the room is 20 m. The communication distance can be extended by placing the relay node 23 every 20 m.

  Next, a method for suppressing the consumption of the primary battery using the self-supporting power source will be described. The power source of the electronic shelf label according to the present invention is an indoor solar cell panel or a primary battery. However, the amount of power generated by the indoor solar cell panel is small because power is generated by light weak to a fluorescent lamp or the like, and it is difficult to operate the electronic shelf label only by the amount of power generated. Therefore, in order to reduce the frequency of battery replacement, it is necessary to stop unnecessary functions when the function as a shelf label is not necessary, or put it in a degraded function state such as a sleep state. Can suppress the consumption of the primary battery.

  Now, in the case of a supermarket that closes at night, it is not necessary to display product information for the time until the opening of the next day after closing. In addition, it is not necessary to update the product information during this period and reflect the change in the payment counter.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation state of the device in the electronic shelf label when the supermarket is opened or closed. When the store is closed, all but the central controller can be placed in a stopped state. In particular, a display device that uses a backlight and a wireless device that consumes power even during reception can be stopped, that is, the power supply can be turned off, and power consumption can be reduced. However, turning on / off the power of the electronic shelf label using a switch takes time and labor, which is not realistic. Therefore, here, a method for automatically distinguishing between when the electronic shelf label is opened and when the store is closed will be described.

  When opening a store, lighting is usually used for the purpose of illuminating a product or the inside of the store. When a store is closed, it is common for an employee to turn off the power supply such as lighting and air conditioning and return home. In the block diagram of the electronic shelf label shown in FIG. 1B, a voltage detection device 19 that detects the voltage of the panel of the indoor solar battery 12 is disposed between the self-supporting power supply 13. The information is input to the central processing unit 15. When the lighting is turned off when the store is closed, the amount of power generated by the panel of the indoor solar battery 12 is lost or very low. The central processing unit 15 detects this information, turns off the power of the wireless device 16 and the display device 17, writes the necessary information into the EEPROM, puts the function of the storage device 17 into the sleep state, and the central processing unit 15 itself also sleeps. Can be in a state.

  Similarly, when the store is opened, the lighting is turned on, and a voltage is generated when the panel of the solar cell 12 for indoor use starts generating power. The voltage detector 19 in FIG. Is sent to the central processing unit 15, the EEPROM returns to the normal operating state, the activation information stored in the EEPROM is read, and the central processing unit 15 starts operating. At the same time, the wireless device 16 and the display device 18 are turned on, the initialization signal is written in the wireless device 16, and the display information is written in the display device 18, so that the function as a normal electronic shelf label can be restored. it can.

  Stores such as supermarkets usually have business hours, and product display is not required outside business hours, so the RTC (interval timer clock) installed in the self-supporting power supply 13 is closed from opening to opening. You can set the time and specify the period for turning off the power. However, since the closing / opening times may differ depending on the day, the time zone that does not require display can be more accurately grasped by using it together with the power generation information of the panel of the solar cell 12 for indoor use.

  Further, the independent power supply may be mounted on a repeater such as the relay node 23. In this case, the same operation and effect as described above can be obtained by controlling the repeater.

  In a supermarket or large-scale retail store, shelves that show product information can be rewritten in a short time and the cashier value at the payment counter can be rewritten at the same time. It can be used to display a product whose amount changes.

(A) is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the electronic shelf label, and its shape. (B) is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic shelf label. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a product information transfer network. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the product information transfer packet. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a product information transfer network sequence. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation state of the device in the electronic shelf label when the supermarket is opened or closed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Display body 12 Solar cell 13 Self-supporting power source 14 Primary battery 15 Central processing unit 16 Wireless apparatus 17 Memory | storage device 18 Display apparatus 19 Voltage detector 21 Merchandise information management system 22 Payment counter 23 Relay node 24 Shelf label 31 Main packet 32 Sub packet 33 Header information of main packet 34 Header information of slave packet 35 Product information

Claims (8)

  A self-sustained power source powered by a solar cell or primary battery, a two-way communication function and a function for confirming whether or not information has been correctly received, a wireless device for receiving product information supplied from a communication network, an SDRAM and an EEPROM, A storage device comprising a liquid crystal panel and displaying product information; storing product information obtained by controlling the wireless device in the storage device and displaying the product information on the display device; A central processing unit that supplies power to other devices via a power source, and the storage device writes and holds information necessary for operation before the central processing unit is powered off or enters a sleep state. Electronic shelf label to do.   The electronic shelf label according to claim 1, wherein the electronic shelf label operates according to a time at which the interval timer clock mounted on the independent power source is turned on / off.   The electronic shelf label according to claim 1, wherein the solar battery and the primary battery are selected to be switched or used together.   The electronic shelf label according to claim 1, wherein a part or all of the function of the shelf label is stopped when the power generation amount of the solar cell is reduced or the power generation is stopped.   A repeater equipped with a self-supporting power source that uses a solar cell or a primary battery as a power source and transmits the information to the electronic shelf label according to claim 1 via information supplied from the communication network.   6. The repeater according to claim 5, wherein the repeater operates according to a time at which a power supply of an interval timer clock mounted on the independent power supply is turned on / off.   The repeater of Claim 5 which selects the switching or combined use of the said solar cell and the said primary battery.   The repeater according to claim 5, wherein a part or all of the function of the shelf label is stopped when the power generation amount of the solar cell decreases or the power generation stops.

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